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Annoying ads are distracting people from sex: study

Can a drug like Cialis solve this problem—or is the erectile-dysfunction pill contributing to it?

According to a survey from InsightsOne, 83 percent of Americans say irrelevant ads—such as pop-ups, male and female enhancement ads, and lottery scams—“get in the way of their activities.” Among them, 19 percent claim these off-topic ads get in the way of sex.

Can this really be true?

“A little sensationalism there,” Bob Dutcher, vice president of marketing at marketing intelligence firm InsightsOne, acknowledged with a laugh. “I’m not exactly sure how that works.”

What he does know is that the irrelevant ads are turning some consumers away from brands.

Of the 91 percent of Americans who say they’ve been flooded with online ad spam, 14 percent stop using the product, 13 percent boycott it, 60 unsubscribe from future emails, and 4 percent “hit their computer or mobile device in frustration.”

Probably best to stay away from the latter group.

The fact that people get so annoyed they’ll avoid or boycott a product surprised Drucker and the team at InsightsOne.

“Most of us in the Internet age are used to being flooded with information,” he said. “I think what this really starts to show is that the consumer is getting much more sophisticated and discerning.”

According to Drucker, Brands should embrace multiple channels to reach consumers and remember that advertising is about quality, not quantity.

The survey, conducted by Harris Interactive from Feb. 27 to Mar. 1, included more than 2,100 American adults.